Upon arriving at the News Stand, near the west side of the Main Entrance to Disneyland Park, we were given our tickets for entry into the park. Despite some of us having annual passes, we were asked to use the designated tickets.

We were given a sheet of paper that, on one side, gave us an overview of what Disneyland looked like in 1968. The Ambassadors, Sachiko "Sachi" White and Megan Navarette, were to give us the tour as if we were walking through 1968 Disneyland. As seen in the picture above, the ladies were dressed in 1960's themed attire. When asked where she purchased the hat, Megan admitted that their outfits were put together by one of the Disney costumers.

In keeping with the 1968 experience, our tour would only include attractions that were present in 1968. According the the information provided when entering the contest, the tour was to consist of The Opera House, Innoventions, and Small World.

On the backside of the sheet of paper we were given was this map (to the left). According to the Ambassadors, this is what guests were given upon entering the park in 1968. In addition to the map seen above, this map included lists of the attractions in each land and "their corresponding ticket categories (A, B, C, D & E)."

I had planned to record the tour, but as it turned out, we did not see anything unique or behind the scenes. Everything we saw can be seen during a regular visit to the park. Furthermore, recording the audio of the Ambassadors giving the tour proved not to be an option. Each guest was given an earpiece, that served as the means for hearing the tour, and the Ambassadors spoke into headsets with microphones. Therefore, our video camera could not pick-up sufficient audio.

As I was unable to record the tour, I will provide a brief summary. The tour began in The Opera House, where the Ambassadors began by sharing the significance of the 1964 World's Fair, including the role the Audio-Animatronic President Lincoln.

From The Opera House, we walked to Tomorrowland and stopped outside Innoventions. The Ambassadors discussed the history of the Skyway & Carousel of Progress. I was disappointed to not even enter Innoventions. I had hopes of seeing some behind-the-scenes areas.

We proceeded to Small World, where we boarded the ride. During the ride, The Ambassadors discussed the history of the ride & the role it played in the 1964 World's Fair. Again, I was disappointed to not go behind-the-scenes.

We then boarded the train and rode it to Main Street, where we disembarked and the tour came to an end. The Ambassadors thanked us for coming and released us to enjoy the park. In observing the other attendees, I was not the only person who had hopes of a more significant experience. In a word, the dismissal was anti-climactic. At different points of the tour, I heard two unrelated women express that when they attended "the first tour, the first time they did this" (I was unable to figure out what they were talking about), they had received little plaques. Much to their dismay, all we received was a two-sided sheet of paper.

The most significant aspect of this "Limited Time Magic," for some of the attendees was their free admission to the park. For those of us with annual passes, the most significant aspect was meeting the Ambassadors. Although I am very appreciative of winning the drawing and being selected, I was unable to find any magic in this "Limited Time Magic" experience. Being that this experience was limited to a total of 125 people, I was expecting a GRAND presentation but instead received kinda cool memories.

Thank you for your recap of the tour. I did not get in, but my cousin and friend did, and they were wondering about some of these things. I did, however, get to go to the "first" tour you referred to. VP Jon Storbeck did a tour of the Main Street, USA windows. At the end, we were surprised with a visit into Walt's apartment, and then were given a "A Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour pin as well as a paperweight, designed to look like the opening day dedication plaque that is by the flagpole.

Dinah,
Wow...that sounds like an amazing experience! Thank you for the info!!

Reply

Dinah G

9/17/2013 05:45:24 am

You're welcome! It was pretty awesome. They asked that we not post anything on social media until after Friday b/c the Walt's apartment visit and the gift were a surprise, and they didn't want to ruin it for the rest of the people. (I went on a Monday). Sorry the tour wasn't what you expected, but again, thank you for sharing your experiences!

Mickey

9/17/2013 02:27:47 pm

Wow, so bootleg! Im not excited to do this tour anymore on Friday! I wonder how many people will show up. at least feed me breakfast or soda.

Reply

Carmelle

9/17/2013 04:49:15 pm

It's funny you commented on breakfast & soda. I had a similar sentiment during the tour, "really? not even a water?" It was incredibly hot, much of the tour was in the sun, everyone was fanning themselves, and there were no breaks. Some women had to literally ask if they had time to use the restrooms; they only had long enough for the next train to arrive.

If you do go, be sure to wear sunblock & bring water. :-)

Reply

Cassie

9/17/2013 05:34:42 pm

I was on this tour and also very underwhelmed. I was not aware of the previous tours and meet ups and what they received so I wasn't expecting gifts and wasn't disappointed, just underwhelmed. Really, they couldn't have taken us backstage or even inside to see the actual AA of Lincoln? Sure, we can see it n our own time, but the same is true of everything we saw!